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The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO) greeted the Year of the Monkey by co-hosting a business seminar and a Chinese New Year reception with Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) in Edinburgh on February 25.
Speakers at the business seminar spoke in detail about the business opportunities available to Scottish companies in Hong Kong and Asia. The seminar was opened by remarks from the Director-General of the London ETO, Ms Priscilla To. She told participants about Hong Kong's unique role as a gateway to Asia with the advantages of "one country, two systems", economic freedom and unparalleled connectivity and networks. She also highlighted the latest initiatives of the Hong Kong Government to strengthen the city's economy as announced in the Budget this week.
Ms To said, "With vast experience of doing business in the region as well as a diverse East-meets-West culture, Hong Kong's expertise and labour will become useful resources for enterprises which want to establish a presence in Asia."
Keynote speaker, Mr Paul Lewis, underlined the Scottish Government's continued support for increased trade with the East Asian region. The discussion of two panels was moderated by the Head of Investment Promotion of InvestHK in the UK, Mr Andrew Davis. Other speakers included the Director for the UK, Benelux and Ireland of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mr David Marsden, and the Manager of the China-Britain Business Council in Scotland, Mr James Brodie, as well as company representatives who shared their successful experiences of going into Asia through Hong Kong.
After the business seminar, Ms To welcomed around 100 friends of Hong Kong at a Chinese New Year reception. Among the guests at the reception were Scottish government officials, friends from the business sector, Hong Kong students and members of the Chinese community. Ms To said that Hong Kong and Scotland have close business and cultural ties which would go from strength to strength. She invited Scottish friends to visit Hong Kong to enjoy sumptuous dining experiences, exciting mega events and the beautiful scenery of rural areas and outlying islands in Hong Kong.
The London ETO will continue to co-host Chinese New Year receptions in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Oslo, Norway, in March.
Ends/Saturday, February 27, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:27
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